Picture Perfect
by WishFlower
Summary: How Victoire went from being perfect to being happy. Neville/Victoire.


**A/N this just popped into my head. Its taken me a little while to write it because i've never written a fic for Neville and victoire before. I don't own anything. **

"So, Victoire, what did you do this summer?" Amber Smith asked her in her slightly nasally voice.

Victoire smiled at her dear friend and spooned a helping of carrots onto her plate. "Well, let's just say. I was very close to _Teddy Lupin _all summer."

Amber squealed and Victoire grinned. The other Ravenclaw girls in her year leaned in close, shrieking and giggling over Teddy Lupin. They all begged to hear every detail and story. Victoire smiled triumphantly. She was in her element. She loved being the centre of attention.

"The Sorting will now begin!" Professor McGonagall shouted over the noise of the Great Hall. About forty eleven year olds marched into the Great Hall following Professor Longbottom. She could see Rose and Albus looking nervous but excited and Victoire could see the other Weasley's waving at them.

Each child was Sorted into a House and Victoire wasn't really paying attention until Al's name was called.

"Potter, Albus!" The Hat called and the room murmured about the newest Potter.

Al sat under that Hat for an infuriating amount of time and just when Victoire thought nothing was going to happen, the Hat called, "GRYFFINDOR!" And the room went wild.

Fred, Molly, James and Dominique were all standing on their chairs cheering for Al. He ran with a grin on his face to sit next to his cousins and the room went quiet again. Victoire lost interest until she saw Rose sitting anxiously on the stool. After a minute, the Hat shouted, "RAVENCLAW!" And Rose jumped off the stool and ran over to the table where she sat down next to a pale blonde boy that could only be a Malfoy. Lucy and Louis cheered for her, but not as loudly as their Gryffindor cousins, and Victoire didn't cheer at all. She clapped for a second, but didn't leap and whoop for her little cousin. It would be bad for her reputation.

Finally the Sorting was over, and the feast began. Victoire, Amber and three other girls in seventh year Ravenclaw daintily picked at salads and small pieces of chicken as to not gain any weight. The boys, however, wolfed down their beef and potatoes like they would never eat again. The girls pretended to be disgusted by their rudeness but really they were jealous of the amount of food the boys were eating. When the dishes were cleared and the feast ended, everyone was sent upstairs to bed.

The prefects were leading the younger kids to the dormitories and Victoire and her friends hung back a bit to avoid the rush.

"Hey, Victoire! I was wondering if you wanted to go with me to the next Hogsmeade trip?" A semi-cute Hufflepuff asked eagerly. She knew him. He was Bylthe Macmillan and was very sweet. But he wasn't in her league so she tilted her head and looked down her nose at him.

"Sorry." She smirked. "But, not in a million years."

His hopeful expression fell and he hurried away from them. Victoire heard Amber and her other friends laughing and heckling him. She felt a moment's pity before she joined in.

"Shouldn't you girls be heading up to your Houses by now?" Professor Longbottom came up to them and said.

"Sorry, Professor!" Amber called insincerely. "We were just leaving now!"

"Alright. And make sure you aren't late to Herbology tomorrow. It's a very important lesson." He said with a smile. The girls started to move away when he said, "Oh and Victoire?"

"Yes, Professor?" Victoire turned and asked.

"That's a lovely hairclip you're wearing. It's very becoming." Professor Longbottom said quietly with a small smile.

"Oh! Thank you." She said. She felt a blush warming her cheeks and she felt a grin tugging up the corners of her lips. She didn't know why she was feeling so bashful and was thankful when Amber grabbed her arm and pulled her away.

"C'mon, Victoire! We want to hear more about Teddy!"

Later that night, Victoire was sitting at the end of her bed while the other girls were sitting at the ends of theirs.

"So tell us how you and Teddy got together!" A straight-haired brunette named Sarah asked eagerly.

"Well, you know that he is a family friend. So this summer, we just... hit it off. He was so sweet. Bringing me flowers every day, turning his hair to match my eyes, seeing me off at the train... He's the One." Victoire said dreamily.

All the girls sighed in unison.

"That's so romantic." Ashley said. She flipped a strand of curly blond hair off her shoulder and sighed again.

"So, this summer, David Goyle finally asked me out! We went to this cute little-"

"Tell us more about Teddy, Victoire!" Amber said, cutting right through Leighton's story. She scowled and fiddled with her wavy brown hair.

Victoire smiled at her adoring audience and continued her story. Even though her thoughts were on Teddy the whole evening, her dreams were strangely filled with Professor Longbottom.

The next morning, she hurried down to Herbology without her posse of friends. They didn't make it to NEWT level Herbology. Victoire didn't mind a bit that her friends weren't with her. Sometimes, the peace was nice.

"Good morning, class." Professor Longbottom said cheerfully to the ten seventeen year olds.

They all murmured good morning back.

"Now today we're starting something new. This plant is called Lux Hepatica. See how they're all close up? It's because they sense the mood in the room. If there's more love in the air, then the leaves open. The inside of the plant is filled with the chemical neon, and when it reacts with the oxygen in the air, it lights up! Cool, huh?" Victoire smiled slightly as Professor Longbottom explained in more detail about the plant. He ran his hand through his dark hair, which she knew he did only when he was really into something, and waved his hands around. She was too busy staring at him to notice him repeatedly calling her name.

"Miss Weasley? Miss Weasley!"

"Hmm... what, sorry?" She asked, shamefully. She was usually the top student in every class.

Professor Longbottom frowned and Victoire glanced down into her lap with embarrassment. She answered his question quickly and he moved on. This was her favourite class; it wasn't like her to zone out like that.

After class she hung back to talk with him. "Professor Longbottom?" She said to him, shyly.

"Yes, Miss Weasley? Is something wrong?" He asked, his brow wrinkling in concern.

"No, no it's just... I'm sorry for spacing out in the lesson today." Victoire said quietly.

"That's not usually like you, are you okay?" He said, worry lacing his voice.

"I'm fine. I just wanted to apologize." Victoire said.

"Are you bored in my classes?" He asked worriedly.

"Oh no, never!" She cried. "This is my favourite class!"

"I was just saying that because I was thinking you needed to be challenged more. I'm growing some Torva Seras which is an extremely temperamental plant. It needs to be monitored closely because if it's in the wrong temperature for even a couple of minutes, it could die. And it's extremely valuable because we just discovered it cures Dragon Pox." Professor Longbottom explained.

"That's really cool, sir. But I'm going to be late." Victoire said apologetically.

"Alright, but I was just wondering if you would like to take a part in growing them with me. For bonus marks of course. If you could just come in a couple times a week and take some notes on their growing patterns and such." Professor Longbottom said.

"Yeah! I mean, yes sir. That sounds really cool!" Victoire said excitedly.

"Alright then!" He said with a smile. "Why don't you come back here around seven tonight and I'll explain it in more detail." Professor Longbottom said.

Victoire agreed and he quickly wrote her a note, excusing her absence. She hurried from the greenhouses with a smile on her face and butterflies flying in her stomach. She gave the note to Professor Flitwick and dropped into her seat in Charms. She dreamily stared out the window, going over different plants and career opportunities for Herbologists. She didn't understand why she was so excited. Sure, she loved Herbology. But doing extra work would only cut into her social time.

**hey whats up? : )**

Amber tossed the note onto her desk and gestured to it, smiling. Victoire sighed, she didn't really want to pass notes with Amber, she wanted to day dream about Herbology.

_Not much, u? _

Victoire gave the note back and sent her a halfway decent smile. Amber grinned like getting a smile from Victoire Weasley just made her day.

**y were u so l8? **

_just some herbology thing with prof longbottom_

**what is it?**

"Girls are you passing notes?" Professor Flirtwick called over to them.

"No, professor!" They cried back in unison.

Victoire went through the rest of the day thinking about the Torva Seras and Professor Longbottom. As soon as she had scarfed down some dinner, she ran out of the Great Hall and down to the greenhouses. She was so excited, she was early.

"Oh, good evening, Miss Weasley." Professor Longbottom called to her as he walked down the hill towards her.

"Hello." She said calmly. Even though she was burning with excitement on the inside, she kept it together.

"Shall we head inside?" He held the door open for her and she took off her cloak and book bag by the door. She was wearing jeans and a plain dark blue t-shirt with her blonde hair piled up in a sloppy bun at the top of her head. She knew she was going to end up dirty and didn't want to ruin her good clothes.

"These are still undeveloped plants. Their leaves will turn from green to blue to violet to red gradually and that's when you know they're mature. They need constant hot temperature so tonight we're moving them into the tropical greenhouse. Is that okay?" Professor Longbottom asked.

"Yes, sir." She replied with a smile. They each grabbed a plant and carried them to the greenhouse next door. It took almost an hour, but they got each plant safely to the other greenhouse.

"Good work, Miss Weasley!" Professor Longbottom said cheerfully.

"Thanks, sir! This has been really interesting. When should I come back?" She asked. She wouldn't mind coming back every night, there was something very peaceful about working with plants.

"How about you come back every other night? Or is that too much for you? We could make it twice a week, if that's better."

"No, I want to come back every other night!" She said quickly.

"Great!" He said with a smile. She lost herself in that smile and for a minute, neither of them did anything but smile at the other.

"It's getting dark; I think I should walk you back for your own safety." Professor Longbottom said.

Victoire nodded and grabbed her cloak. They didn't speak on they walk back, but just the thought of Professor Longbottom worrying about her safety made her smile.

"Bye, Miss Weasley. See you Wednesday." Professor Longbottom said kindly and just as he was leaving, he gently squeezed her shoulder. She shivered with delight. Then quickly banished such thoughts.

She made her way up to the Ravenclaw tower and dropped her bookbag and cloak on the chair beside her bed.

"Hey, where were you this evening? You totally took off after dinner!" Amber said from her bed. She was sitting cross-legged on the dark blue sheets flipping through a wizarding fashion magazine.

"Oh... Professor Longbottom is making me do some extra credit work. Totally lame." Victoire said.

Amber made small sympathetic noises and tilted her head sympathetically. None of her friends knew how much she liked Herbology. She just said her father was making her take it. She never told them how soothing she found it working in the soil. It would make her seem unfeminine if she admitted to liking playing in the dirt and wearing old clothes and no makeup.

The other girls come in, giggling and laughing. Leighton started exclaiming excitedly how Sean Brown had _finally _asked out Ashley. The girls begged for all the details and Ashley flipped her curls over her shoulder and explained with stars in her eyes about how he had asked her to accompany him to the next Hogsmeade trip. All the girls sighed and giggled at all the right moments, but Victoire's thoughts were still down in a warm greenhouse with Professor Longbottom.

Weeks past and she found herself enjoying herself more and more every day. The pants were maturing on schedule and every minute away from Professor Longbottom and the Torva Seras was boring. She looked forward to their meetings all day long and his classes were the only ones that could keep her focus.

One cool October night, they had made some more progress.

"Look!" Professor Longbottom said excitedly. "This Torva Sera's leaves are turning blue!"

It was true, the plant did seem to have a blue-ish sheen to it. Victoire gasped with delight and quickly pulled out her notebook.

"And look, the stem is slightly thicker!" She cried and leaned in closer to the Torva Sera. Professor Longbottom leaned in close as well. She looked to realize that his face was inches from her own. Their eyes met and she lost her breath. He was so close to her, physically closer then they had ever been.

"Miss Weasley..." He said huskily.

As if she had no control over her body, she moved in even closer to him.

"It's almost curfew. You should get back to your room." He said, suddenly jerking away from her.

"O-okay." She said surprised. It had almost seemed like he was going to... but no. That would be totally inappropriate.

She half expected their next lesson to be awkward but it wasn't. At least for Professor Longbottom it didn't seem to be. Victoire was still reeling from the other day. He acted no different towards her, except that he kept a careful distance between them at all times.

The weekend before Halloween was the first Hogsmeade trip of the year. Ashley had plans to meet Sean at Madam Puddifoots and Leighton was going with David Goyle. So it was just her, Amber and Sarah. The girls walked down the little country lane towards the small village, giggling and whispering about the cutest boys in their year. They spent an hour in Gladrags Wizard Wear and Victoire bought a very cute glittery black skirt which the other girls were quite envious about. Then they took a break in Three Broomsticks for a bottle of butterbeer and the chance to socialize with friends.

Victoire saw her cousins sitting in the corner laughing. In some deep, buried part of her mind, she wished she was sitting over there with them, arguing about Quidditch teams and complaining about the amount of homework Professor Binns gives. Every Hogsmeade visit, all the cousins got together for only about a half an hour to catch up and talk because they didn't get the chance to see each other that often at school. They were all so busy. Once upon a time, Victoire would've been over there as well. But then she grew up and realized that it wasn't cool to have a family reunion every time they went to Hogsmeade. Now she hardly ever saw her cousins.

Fred, Molly, James, Dominique and Albus were all in Gryffindor. Fred was in his fifth year, Molly was in her fourth, James in his third and Dominique was in her third, and Albus was in his first. Lucy and Louis and Rose were there as well. They were both in Ravenclaw and fourth and second year respectively. Rose was in her first. Roxanne caught her eye and smiled, gesturing for Victoire to come over and join them. Victoire shook her head no and Roxanne sighed and went back to the conversation. Roxanne was the only Weasley in Hufflepuff and was in her fourth year.

"Victoire! We've got a table over here!" Sarah called over to her. Victoire went over and sat with her friends and enjoyed her butterbeer. Then the girls were soon joined by two Slytherin boys: Charles Gordan and Stuart Reid. Victoire didn't care much for them, they were rude and annoying.

"Hey, Victoire." Charles said smoothly, "Lookin' hot today."

Amber and Sarah glared enviously at her and Victoire rolled her eyes. They could have these two losers.

"Bye, girls." Victoire said. "I have to get some more potion supplies for class. I'll see you later." She lied.

All four students chorused goodbye, but none of them looked too sad to see her leaving. She frowned slightly. She wasn't used to not having constant love and adoration. She was so lost in thought; she didn't watch where she was going and crashed into Professor Longbottom in the street.

"Oomph!" They both muttered.

"Oh, hello, Miss Weasley!" He said more pleasantly when he saw it was her.

"Hi, professor." She said back to him.

"What are you doing by yourself? Whenever I see you you're usually surrounded by three or four adoring boys and Amber Smith." He teased.

She smiled softly. "She's in the Three Broomsticks with a couple of Slytherin boys. I don't like them much, so I left."

He smiled sympathetically at her, "Well then, if you're not busy, how about accompanying me to Terra Lune's to pick up some Herbology supplies?"

Victoire immediately agreed. She loved the little shop. It was filled with exotic new plants and the tools to take care of them. And it always smelled like rain and earthy soil. On the walk over, she chatted easily with Professor Longbottom. Sometime in the last month, the student-teacher lines weakened and he somehow became her friend.

"Hello, professor." The elderly woman working at the register said when they walked through the door.

"Hello, Stella." Professor Longbottom said kindly back.

"Who's your pretty friend?" She asked.

"Oh, this is Victoire Weasley, a very gifted Herbology student at the school." Professor Longbottom said, introducing her.

Victoire smiled and shook the woman's hand.

"Shame." Stella said looking her over. "I thought she was much older. You _are _quite pretty, my dear."

Victoire blushed and murmured thanks. However, Professor Longbottom was frowning at Stella as if she had said something wrong.

"She's my student, Stel." He said firmly. Victoire didn't understand what he meant but shrugged it off.

Stella proceeded to show Professor Longbottom the latest tools and Victoire wandered about on her own. Everything in the store was earthy and simple. It was a far cry from Gladrags to say the least. But, even still, Victoire loved it more.

"Miss Weasley, you must come look at this!" Professor Longbottom's voice carried over to her from across the shop.

"What is it?" She asked.

"It's a thermometer for dirt! This would help a great deal with the Torva Seras!" Professor Longbottom said enthusiastically.

"Ooh, you have a Torva Sera plant?" Stella asked.

"Yes, we just got a dozen this year. And we also got a dozen Lux Hepaticas." Professor Longbottom said absent-mindly, looking at the thermometers.

"The love plants." Stella said with a grin towards Victoire who was standing beside Professor Longbottom.

Professor Longbottom paid using the school's money and then they headed out into the brisk autumn air. She shivered slightly and rubbed her hands together.

"Are you cold, Miss Weasley?" Professor Longbottom asked, concerned. She shrugged in reply.

"No wonder! You have nothing on your hands! Here." He said to her, pulling off his own thick green gloves and sliding them onto her slender hands.

"Oh! No, I couldn't..." She said, attempting to take the gloves off again.

"Please, Miss Weasley. Keep them. I have a million gloves. And I really don't need the best Herbology student at Hogwarts to freeze her hands off." He said warmly, putting her hands back into the gloves.

"O-okay." She said, breathlessly. His kind blue eyes were so deep; she lost herself in them for a minute. She couldn't think clearly while she was staring into his eyes. Her hands were still being held by his much larger and stronger hands and they were standing quite close together. She suddenly felt weak at the knees and wanted nothing more than to lean into him. Perhaps he felt the same way she did at that moment, and he knew it was wrong, so he pulled away. Just in time, too.

"Victoire!" Amber screeched as she ran down the path towards her friend.

Victoire sighed. She didn't want to have to listen to Amber's nonsensical babble, she wanted to continue holding hands with Professor Longbottom and staring into his eyes.

"It was nice to see you again, Miss Weasley. I guess I'll see you tomorrow evening at the greenhouse." He said with a smile then walked down the path to the school, without looking back.

"Victoire! Charles asked me out! Isn't that excellent? I am so excited!" Amber continued to chatter on, without seeming to notice that she didn't hold an ounce of Victoire's attention.

The next couple of months of term went very well. The plants were maturing the way they should be and every seemed to be perfect. And then something terrible yet wonderful happened.

It was the last evening before the end of term and the beginning of Christmas break. Victoire was down in the greenhouse like usual with Professor Longbottom. He had said a very cheesy joke that made her throw her head back and laugh. Her long blonde hair fell in her face and, hesitantly, he brushed it back. As his hand brushed her cheek, it was like she was electrocuted. His fingers left a trail of sparks across her skin that made her shiver with delight. For a moment, they just stood there, gazes locked and his fingers still on her cheek. And then...

"It's past curfew." He said gruffly clearing his throat. "You should get back."

"Alright." She said faintly. He handed her, her cloak and bookbag and their fingers brushed, sending another wave of sparks through her body.

"Happy Christmas, Miss Weasley." He said with a smile that lit up his whole face and made his blue eyes sparkle. She nodded dumbly and left the greenhouse shakily.

She walked through the snow back up to her room, trying to ignore the butterflies in her stomach and the silly grin on her face. She couldn't stop thinking about Professor Longbottom.

She changed into her pyjamas and only half-listened as Amber ranted on and on about Charles Gordan.

"And when he touches me, it's like sparks fly!" Amber said dreamily.

"What?" Victoire asked sharply, her attention suddenly catching.

"Mm-hmm. That's when you know it's love." Amber said knowingly. "When whenever he looks at you, you get butterflies in your tummy and when he touches you, you feel as if you have been electrocuted. When you can't go a minute without thinking about him and count the seconds until you see him again."

Victoire couldn't breathe for a second. That's exactly how she felt about... no, she was being silly. Besides, she was happily dating Teddy Lupin. Who she would see tomorrow. But, still... No matter what she told herself, Victoire knew that she was in love with Neville Longbottom.

On the train ride back to London, she wasn't really in the mood for her friend's excitement seeing as she was feeling so mopy herself. She was confused about her feelings for Neville. Did she love him or was this just a crush? Her friend's laughter grated on her ears and their voices were too loud.

"Excuse me." She said politely getting up from the seat by the window which she had been sitting in.

"Where are you going?" Sarah asked.

"...Just for a walk. I'll be back shortly." Victoire said and shut the compartment door behind her before they could say anything else.

She wandered down the train, glancing in the compartments filled with people she knew, but not well enough to sit with. And she knew she couldn't keep walking around forever, the train conductor would make her sit down eventually.

She passed James and Dominique sitting in a compartment alone, playing Exploding Snap and eating chocolate frogs. Suddenly, the strangest urge to sit with them and ignore what it would do with her reputation and just hang out like she hadn't done in years overtook her. She slid open the compartment door and stepped inside.

"Hi guys." She said.

"Hi Victoire." James said. "Why are you sitting with us? You usually always avoid us at Hogwarts."

Dom slapped her cousin in the arm and Victoire rolled her eyes. James was always the brutally honest one.

"I don't know. I guess I just felt like it." Victoire shrugged.

James shrugged as well and dealt her into the card game. She ate more Chocolate Frogs and Licorious Wands then was probably good for her but she didn't care. She laughed genuinely for the first time in what might've been years. Later, as the sun was going down, her other cousins joined them.

"Hi, Dom! Hi... Victoire? Is something wrong?" Lucy asked worriedly.

"No, she's fine. She just decided randomly she wanted to sit with us." James said.

"Hey, guys. I talked with the conductor. We should be there in ten minutes." Rose said. The Weasley and Potter kids split up to get their bags from their separate compartments. Their parents were all there to greet them with smiles and hugs. Teddy kissed Victoire full on the lips as soon as he saw her. Her cousins wolf-whistled and laughed but Victoire could only feel guilty.

On Christmas morning, she awoke to Dom jumping on her bed and shouting in her face. "GET UP, VICTOIRE!" She yelled. "THERE'S PRESENTS DOWNSTAIRS!"

"How old are you? Seven? Act your age." Victoire said groggily.

Dominique ignored that and ran shouting from her older sister's bedroom, red hair sticking straight up from her head like a troll doll.

Fleur was sitting daintily on the couch sipping coffee. Bill was sprawled all over the floor with Louis and Dom, wearing a Santa hat and tossing presents at people.

"Here Victoire, catch!" Bill said over-excitedly throwing a pale pink gift at her. Only years of experience at catching Christmas presents could have allowed her to catch that one.

She sat next to her mother on the couch and slowly opened the beautifully wrapped gift. She knew it drove her siblings crazy that she saved the wrapping paper. It was from Teddy. It was a fragile-looking silver chain with a little silver heart shaped locket on it. She opened it to see a picture of her when she was about fifteen and he was about seventeen. They were sitting on the edge of the lake at Hogwarts and he had his arm around her. They were both laughing and Victoire gasped at the memory.

"That's beautiful!" Her mother said, catching a glimpse of the lovely locket.

"Be sure to thank Teddy for that when he comes over tonight for the Christmas party." Bill said to his eldest daughter. Victoire nodded mutely. She complied when her mother helped her clasp it around her neck. She smiled at Dom and Louis when they showed off their gifts. She was cheerful when the family started arriving for Christmas dinner. But inside, she was completely numb.

"Hey." Teddy said softly when he saw her standing by the stairs in her midnight blue dress and silver necklace.

"Hi Teddy." She said nervously. She knew what she had to do and she hated it.

"Did you like my present?" He asked shyly, gesturing to her necklace.

"Yes, it was beautiful. But, Teddy, I have to talk to you." He must have caught something in her tone, because he allowed her to lead him into the kitchen. Far away from their family and their laughter.

"I-I want to break up with you." Victoire said furiously fast, just to get the words off her tongue. Who would've guessed that Victoire Weasley would someday break up with Teddy Lupin? She cringed at his expression.

"Why?" He asked quietly.

She just shrugged.

"Tell me the truth, Victoire." He said seriously.

She took a breath before whispering, "I think I'm in love with someone else."

"Who?" He asked, horrified. But she just shook her head.

"I'm sorry, Teddy." She whispered. "I'm truly sorry."

He glared at her icily and she unclasped the beautiful locket he had given her.

"No. Keep it." He practically growled. "It was for you."

She shook her head again, "I can't keep it, Teddy. Not now, after what I did to you."

He glared at her again and snatched the necklace from her hand. He stormed out to the living room where her whole family was and said to Uncle Harry, "I'm disapparating home."

"What?" Uncle Harry asked, Lily still sitting in his lap. "Why?"

"Victoire and I broke up." Tedy said calmly, as if he and Uncle Harry were alone, as if Victoire and her _entire _family couldn't hear him.

Uncle Harry's confused gaze latches onto Victoire and she can feel the tears building.

"What happened?" Uncle Harry asked slowly.

"She loves someone else." Teddy said mechanically, like he was reading something off a sheet of paper.

Everyone gasps and turns to stare at Victoire. Tears are pouring down her face and smudging her makeup.

"Teddy..." She said, begged more like, to make him stop telling the family about her cruelty.

"I'm leaving now." He said to Uncle Harry. He gave her one last parting glare, then Disapparated.

Victoire looked around at her family. Most wore expressions of shock, confusion or anger. Anger directed at her, she knew, for being so heartless. And for breaking up with _Teddy Lupin _on Christmas day. She turned on her heels and ran up the stairs to her room and slammed the door shut. She fell onto her bed and her sobs overcame her body. Her makeup was running down her face in globs and her hair in that fancy updo was half undone. She cried and cried for Teddy because she knew she had made a decision. She had decided against staying in the safe and secure relationship with her childhood friend and for the unpredictable and possibly non-existent one with her Herbology teacher.

She could hear hushed voices from downstairs. Probably wondering if they should come and talk to her. Probably wondering who it was she had broken up with Teddy for. She didn't care. She just wanted to be alone.

Suddenly, a tawny owl flew to her window and screeched to be let in. She hurriedly opened the window and the owl stood on her desk with its leg out. She pulled the note from its leg and it flew off again.

_Happy Christmas!_

_I just wanted to tell you that the Torva Seras are now a very dark blue. Next they will be turning violet! I've enclosed a photo so you can see for yourself. Tell your family I wish them a merry Christmas. I can't wait to tell you about all of my notes when I see you in person! There's too much to explain in just this letter. _

_Sincerely, _

_Professor Neville Longbottom_

Victoire sighed and clutched the note to her chest. This was proof that he was thinking of her. If he didn't care about her at all, he wouldn't have bothered to send a letter. He couldn't wait to see her... She sighed again, dreamily. She pulled out the photo. It was of a Torva Sera plant in the greenhouse. She imagined herself there right now. Neville (she wasn't sure when she started referring to him as 'Neville'; but it was probably when she realized she loved him) would brush loose strands of hair away from her face and his eyes would twinkle. They would be surrounded by the smell of the earth and he would kiss her...

A knock woke her from her reverie.

"Victoire?" Someone said hesitantly on the other side of the door.

She sighed and opened it.

"Dom?" She said in surprise. She _so _didn't expect her little sister would be the one to either, a) yell at her for breaking Teddy's heart or b) comfort her in her time of need.

"I'm sorry you and Teddy broke up." She said softly. "I know you and I haven't been as close as we used to be lately, but you're still my sister. And I hate the way he just announced your breakup in front of everyone, it wasn't fair."

Victoire burst into tears again and hugged her sister tight. The two girls sat on Victoire's bed and held each other tight while they both cried for Victoire's breakup. Victoire was a little sad about losing Teddy. She had no romantic feelings for him, but he was her closest friend growing up and she didn't expect their relationship to end this way. Dominique and Victoire didn't leave the latter's room that night. They ended up falling asleep on the pale blue sheets in Victoire's room, their hair tangling together, long and golden and short and fiery.

Victoire didn't sit with her House mates on the train ride back. She sat with Dom and James and Roxanne and Fred. Molly and Lucy were sitting with their own friends and Albus and Rose were sitting with Scorpius Malfoy. She no longer felt the desire to be perfect and popular; she just wanted to be herself. She figured this out when she realized she was in love with Neville. She knew he wouldn't want someone so fake.

Back in her blue and bronze dorm room, all was quiet. It was strange because usually the five girls couldn't shut up for even a second. But today they were silent. They just kept giving her the oddest looks.

"What?" Victoire finally asked.

The glanced at each other before Amber slowly said, "You broke up with Teddy Lupin. And you didn't sit with us on the train. And you've been acting quite strange lately."

Victoire looked at them. They stood together facing her and giving her the look usually reserved for nerdy boys or obnoxious fifth years.

"Guys, I'm fine. Sorry if I've been acting a little distant." Victoire said. The girls all nodded, but they didn't speak for a long time. And when they did have a conversation, Victoire was not included.

The next day in all of her classes, no one spoke to her, but everyone talked about her. As she walked down the hallways, people parted in front of her and just _stared. _It was so odd. Of course, Victoire was used to people gaping at her because of good looks and good name, but this was something different. People openly avoided eye contact with her and the rumour going around was that Victoire Weasley had finally snapped.

After dinner, she went down to the greenhouses to see Neville.

"Good evening, Miss Weasley. How was your Christmas break?" He asked as cheerfully as ever.

She sighed, "Not that great actually."

"Oh? What happened?" He asked, sounding genuinely concerned for her. Her bottom lip started to wobble and before she knew it, she was sobbing again.

"Teddy – Amber – everyone hates me – rumours –" She wailed incoherently.

"Shh..." He whispered soothingly. "Take a deep breath and tell me what happened."

So she did. She told him about her and Teddy's relationship and how she had broken up with him and how her sister was being so kind to her and none of her friends would speak to her and everyone was spreading rumours about her.

"And now my life is ruined and it's all my fault!" She cried.

He surprised her by pulling her close in a hug. He stroked her hair and rubbed her back.

"It's going to be alright, Miss Weasley. None of this was your fault." Neville whispered softly.

"Why do you never call me Victoire?" She asked suddenly, lifting her head from his chest to stare straight into his eyes.

"Because – because it wouldn't be proper." He stuttered.

"Why not? You've known me since before I could walk and visit our house every summer." Victoire said.

"Alright then." He said huskily. "Victoire."

"See? That wasn't so hard." She whispered back.

He leaned down towards her and she raised her face to his. Their lips were a hair's width apart when he stopped and murmured, "You should be getting back, it's almost curfew."

Disappointedly, she pulled on her coat and left. She stomped up to the Ravenclaw tower and fell onto the bed with a groan. They were _this close _to kissing. She was annoyed he had pulled back.

The next few days passed just as she expected them to. No one spoke to her, but whispers followed her wherever she went. She ended up eating with Lucy and Louis because they were the only Ravenclaws who acted normal around her. She spent every evening with Neville instead of just every other evening. She focused on her studies and hung around with her cousins and siblings.

Then the bullying started. It was no longer just whispers and rumours, it was all out mockery. People would trip her in the halls, send her offensive notes and openly make fun of her. But of course she never ratted them out. Lucy, Louis, Rose, Albus and Roxanne urged her to tell on them while Fred, Molly, James and Dominique said just to confront the bullies openly. She just stayed silent.

After one very trying day, she couldn't take it anymore. She stormed down to the greenhouses and started ranting to Neville.

"Hello, Mi – Victoire. Have you seen the Torva Seras? Their leaves are now violet and – oh my Godric! What happened to your hair?" He asked, horrified.

"IT'S PINK!" She shrieked. "MY SO CALLED 'FRIENDS' CHARMED MY HAIR PINK AND I CAN'T FIX IT!"

It was true. Her once waist-length silky blonde hair was now bubble-gum pink. Neville hid a smile and silently lifted the enchantment she couldn't fix herself. As soon as her hair was back to normal, she calmed down.

"When did this become my life? When did I hit rock bottom? My life was _perfect _and now it's ruined." She said.

"Was your life really perfect? Sure you were beautiful and intelligent but you always seemed to keep everyone at arm's length. You never seemed truly happy." Neville said then blushed and turned back to the plants.

Some distant part of Victoire told her she should be offended and angry because she _was _happy. But that was a lie.

"You're right." She sighed. "I was so convinced I had to be perfect, that I forget about what I wanted and just thought about what would make me look good. I'm an awful person."

Once again, he drew her close into his arms.

"You're not an awful person, Victoire. You're better than me." Neville said.

"What do you mean?" She asked. He just shook his head.

"You know when I was younger; I wanted to get flowers tattooed all over my body so I could always be surrounded by a garden. I wanted to live in a little cottage in a field of wildflowers and have my own gardens and greenhouses. I wanted to have a little florist's ship in Diagon Alley and sell my plants." She whispered.

"What changed?" He asked quietly.

"When I got to Hogwarts, everyone expected me to be great because I was the first Weasley child. So I tried to please everyone and do well in school. I... lost myself somewhere along the way. My new life goals were to live in a nice house and marry Teddy Lupin. I wanted two beautiful kids and to work at Gringotts like my parents. Because that's what everyone expected of me." She said, horrified at the sudden realization.

"Victoire, you are amazing just the way you are and you don't have to change for anyone." Neville said.

No one had ever said that to her before. With a small cry, she leaned over and kissed him furiously. Instead of pushing her away like she expected him to, he clung to her just as strong and kissed her back. She felt like she was on fire. She was in another world. She was dreaming. This couldn't be true. Neville was kissing her. The man she was in love with was _kissing _her.

When she started to unbutton his shirt, he stopped her.

"Wait." He panted. "This is wrong. I'm twenty years older then you. I'm your _teacher _for Godric's sake!"

"I don't care." Victoire said stubbornly. "I love you."

The look in his eyes made her melt. "I love you too, Victoire."

They laid down an old woollen blanket on the floor of the greenhouse and he kissed her again. Hours later, or maybe it was only seconds, they just lay together in each other's arms. The tropical greenhouse was filled with a warm rosy glow from the Lux Hepaticas that glow when love's in the air. She had never felt more at peace. He kissed her forehead and started to get up.

"No!" Victoire said holding onto his arm. "Where are you going?"

"You have to be upstairs in the Ravenclaw tower in five minutes. I'm sorry, love, but you have to get going." Neville said slowly.

Victoire sighed and grabbed her clothes. He held her hand all they way to the Ravenclaw tower. Thankfully they didn't run into anyone.

"I love you." He whispered to her.

"I love you too." She whispered back.

"This relationship is going to be difficult, but I want it to work. I want to be with you." He said to her.

"I want to be with you too." She said. "As soon as I get out of school, we could tell everyone if we want to. I don't care what people will think of me and I don't care what my family will say. I just want to be with you."

"We'll buy that little cottage you wanted in a field of wildflowers. I'll quit my job teaching, I doubt they'd want me anymore if I went public with you, and we'll open up a little Herbology shop." He said.

"We'll wander through the meadows together and drink strawberry tea." She said dreamily.

"We'll sleep in on the weekends and eat ice cream for breakfast." He said with a laugh.

"That sounds like a dream." She said with a smile.

"And I promise it will come true. I love you, Victoire. Remember that." Neville said.

"I love you too, Neville." She said breathlessly. She still couldn't believe her good fortune.

"I'll see you tomorrow in class." He said, kissed her cheek, and walked off down the corridor.

For once in her life, her everything was picture perfect.

**A/N okay thank you for reading my super long one-shot thing. Im new to this pairing, this is my first story about them, and i could really use the feeback! Please review! Thanks! : ) **


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